Abstract
This study aims to illustrate the political inequality and the lack of representativeness of the U.S. presidential election system by analyzing the flaws of the Electoral College system. Increasingly influenced by political polarization, money, and social media, nowadays the U.S. presidential election has become more susceptible to being manipulated so the winner's governance ability cannot be guaranteed. The U.S. presidential electoral system needs to be reformed to better reflect the will of the people, ensure democratic legitimacy, and achieve effective governance.
Highlights
This study aims to illustrate the political inequality and the lack of representativeness of the U.S presidential election system by analyzing the flaws of the Electoral College system
The direct election was an unrealistic method at that time because of the lack of resources and transportation, and constitution-makers were skeptical of common citizens‟ ability and awareness of participating in politics
Each of the three electoral votes represents 177,556 people, which means that people in Wyoming enjoys 3.18 times as much clout in the Electoral College as an average American (FairVote, n.d.)
Summary
The constitution of 1787 gave the power to determine the electoral method of individual electors to each state. A candidate will win the electoral votes in the state as long as he or she wins a plurality instead of a true majority of votes, even the percentage of vote is under 50% (Golder, 2006). This system violates the democratic principle of majority rule. In this way, if the plurality of electoral votes for the state is 30%, anyone who has not voted in that 30% will not be represented by the electors (Marlowe, 2020). Vol 7, No 2; 2022 divergence between the popular vote and the electoral vote aggravated the unrepresentative of the citizen‟s wishes and proved the undemocratic nature of the system (Marlowe, 2020) because it makes some people‟s voices not matter at all
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
